Relationships Suck
by HK-47 Scarlet
Summary: Ken finally has Suguru to himself, and is thrilled that they are in a relationship now. Unfortunately for Ken, relationships can suck. Series of ficlets about their relationship, takes place after Not Aggressive, Just Passive Ken x Suguru
1. Lover's Spat

**A/N: **This is the first of a series of drabbles and ficlets -- all of them having to do with Suguru and Ken-chan's relationship. Note that this little series takes place after Not Aggressive, Just Passive -- though you don't really need to read that to understand this.

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**Lover's Spat  
**

'Silence is golden'.

_Bull, _was Suguru's only thought as that saying popped into his head.

If silence were golden, then he was the king of Japan. Silence was anything _but _golden; at least, at the moment it certainly was not. It was almost deafening. The tension that filled the mid-sized car was so thick one could cut it with a knife.

Ken and Suguru had honestly forgotten why they were arguing with one another, but still would not let up on the harsh glares, sighs of frustration, and the occasional obscene hand gesture.

By the time the car had hit the highway, Suguru had had enough of the silence. He was eighteen, a grown-up, now. His problems wouldn't be solved by just sitting there and pouting. Not that he ever relied on such a method.

"Nice car," was all that Suguru was able to say, unfortunately. He _was _still mad, after all. He wasn't sure _why _he was mad, but he was. Ken's attitude wasn't helping the matter either.

"I know." It wasn't a smug reply, really. It was more of a 'I-don't-really-want-to-talk-to-you-right-now' reply.

Suguru sighed in frustration as he turned his head to stare out the window. He caught glimpses of some of the other passengers in their cars, all happy and laughing. It didn't make Suguru feel bad or anything; it just annoyed him. It seemed that whenever he was in a bad mood, the whole world around him was as happy as ever. It was like a big 'fuck you' from the universe.

The whole world seemed like it was laughing and celebrating outside of this one car, and it was killing Suguru. After a while, it had occurred to him that Ken was giving him the silent treatment, which didn't sit well with the keyboard prodigy.

If anything, Ken should have been _given_ the silent treatment. He didn't know why, but knew he should be the one to be ignored.

He wanted to just talk about it with Ken and end this horrible tirade of rude gestures. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. Ken wasn't the type that you could be direct with when he was angry. Suguru had learned that the hard way. He always got defensive, and when he got defensive he yelled, and when he yelled, Suguru would get pissed and not speak to him for the rest of the day -- sometimes week. In order to deal with Ken when he was like this, Suguru found that he had to make annoying small talk until little by little Ken would start warming back up to him; that's usually when whoever was at fault would apologize.

However, at the moment, Ken wasn't cooperating in the least. His sour mood hadn't lifted in the _slightest. _In fact, he seemed to get angrier as the minutes rolled by. He wasn't sure, but at one point Suguru could have sworn Ken had given him the finger, though he couldn't be positive since he 'saw' it from his peripheral vision.

"What kind of car is it?" Suguru asked, trying to spark some sort of conversation.

"Nissan Skyline," he replied flatly as he turned the steering wheel, moving into the next lane.

He was being stubborn now. No, he was being childish. Whatever got him this mad couldn't have been that bad if Suguru didn't even remember it! Ken seemed perfectly happy when he picked him up in the morning; it was after about an hour in the car when he started to seem upset. When Suguru had made the common mistake of confronting Ken about it head on, an argument had erupted, and thus the silence began.

And yet, their destination was still about three hours away. It was just so frustrating for Suguru. Before he knew it, he was talking, and he didn't stop. He knew he should have, but he didn't. He was just so...pissed. "You know, your attitude is going to have to change once we get to the park. Unless you want to make the others feel awkward."

He hadn't looked at Ken when he said it, but he heard him huff, and he just knew the older man's face was twisted into a scowl. "Your attitude isn't any better."

Suguru's head snapped in Ken's direction. "You know, you're acting childish."

"This is coming from an actual child," he spat out, knowing Suguru hated being referred to as a child. It was Ken's ammo against him when he really wanted to piss him off, since he was older by a few years.

And it worked every time.

"When we get to the park, I want nothing to do with you. Is that clear?" At the moment he meant every word. They were on their way to a barbeque with the others, and the last thing Suguru wanted was for everyone to notice how the two seemed to hate one another at the moment. It was best if he just stayed away from him.

"I don't want anything to do with you _now_," Ken replied, turning when he spotted a sign that read the name of the park they were going to.

"Then I'd appreciate it if you'd stop talking to me," Suguru said. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked out the window at the passing foliage as if to signal that the conversation was over.

Normally, this was the part where Suguru would storm off for a couple of hours.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do that now unless he was willing to become Secret Agent Suguru and dive-roll out the car door. So, naturally, Ken continued to argue.

"You're the one who started it. I was perfectly quiet until you started asking stupid questions about my car."

Suguru gritted his teeth as he fought to hold back whatever crass thing was threatening to escape his lips. His fingers were digging into his grayish sweater as his arms folded tighter over his chest. He wanted to say the one thing he _knew _would shut him up, but he didn't want to stoop so low either.

"Just, drop it," he forced out.

"Oh, so now that I have a point you want to drop it? Typical. Heaven forbid you should be wrong." Ken shook his head in disbelief as he pulled the car into a small side-road, which was surrounded by more trees. It looked as if they were there. Good, it was a _lot_ shorter than Suguru had thought.

_Just don't respond. That's what he wants, and I refuse to stoop to his level. _Though he couldn't deny that little voice in his head telling him to say that one thing that was sure to piss Ken off.

"So you're going to ignore me now? That's not very adult-like of you." The car now pulled into a large area surrounded by more trees, though the ground was concrete with white stripes on the floor, like a makeshift parking lot out in the woods. There were three other cars there, surrounded by the others they had intended to meet up with.

Suguru sighed in relief. He was glad that he had made it to the park without saying something he knew he'd regret.

Too bad Ken had other plans.

"Fine. Be a little kid."

It hadn't even occurred to Suguru that Ken had been trying to patch things up in his own twisted way by getting him to respond back. Or that maybe he was just trying to push his buttons. At that point, nothing occurred to him. Not even that if he started something now, it would unleash a tension that could possibly ruin everyone's good time. He was just too annoyed.

"Virgin boy." The words weren't spat out with any venom or malice, but they certainly weren't harmless. It was stated, almost like a fact, and that is what caused Ken to get so pissed off.

That was _Suguru's _ammo against _Ken_.

"You're such a prick," was all Ken said before opening the car door and getting out. He hadn't even bothered to open the passenger's side like he always did.

Suguru's eyes narrowed as he watched his significant other put on a huge smile as he greeted his two band mates. They all stood by the car talking and laughing, and it irked the Hell out of Suguru. Even the members of ASK were having a good time, and they were within ten feet of Bad Luck!

"Suguru, come out of the car, will ya'?"

Suguru turned his head to the left, coming face-to-face to Shuichi. The vocalist didn't even give him a chance to protest before he reached his hand through the window and unlocked the door, pulling it open. He grinned down at the keyboardist as he held the door open. "Don't just sit there, come on! Hiro's making his famous heroes as soon as we get to our spot!"

Suguru arched an eyebrow at the ridiculous pun as he stepped out of the car and shut the door. Ken, Taki, and Ma-kun were all gathering coolers and heading over to the trail that lead to their usual spot. As Suguru figured, Ken was totally ignoring him. Shuichi had ran over to Yuki and was pestering the blond about wanting to carry one of the two heavy looking coolers, with Yuki responding by saying 'you're too weak'. Hiro was busy carrying the remaining coolers, looking as if he were showing off for Ayaka.

_Well, I may as well at least _try _still have fun. _That thought in mind, Suguru pulled his lips back into a forced smile and walked a bit behind everyone.

This was going to be hard.


	2. After Effect

Warnings: Angst. I don't normally do angst, it just came out of nowhere! Drabble.

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After Effect

The after effect of sex was supposed to be something two people enjoyed. In the movies, the two lovers would simply lay in one another's arms, whispering sweet nothings into eachother's ears, sometimes ending with another roll in the sack. That's how movies portrayed the after effects of sex. Especially when it was a couple's first time.

In reality, sex was something far more intimate than any movie could ever properly portray. You opened yourself up in so many ways, making you vulnerable. It was a scary experience – and Suguru now understood why his parents always gave him those hour long talks about being careful who his first time was with.

Regrettably, Ken was not his first. His first time had actually been incredibly awkward and short, having only lasted for about five minutes. He chose not to think about that too often, though, and had instead focused on his first time with Ken.

To put it bluntly, it was great. Ken showed a side of himself that Suguru had never seen before. When they made love, Suguru felt Ken's possessiveness, his neediness. When Ken kissed him, he kissed him as if he were doing so for the last time. When Ken held him, he held him as if he were never going to let go, ever. When Ken told him he loved him, he did so as if he meant it with every fiber of his being. Granted, neither of them had ever said 'I love you' outside of sex, but whether Ken said it out of passion for the moment or truth, Suguru didn't care. He loved it.

The sex was always the same, and Suguru hadn't minded at all. However, there was something Suguru wasn't too fond of, and it was the after effects, which were also always the same.

After the two made love, Ken would always latch on to Suguru for all it was worth, sometimes squeezing him to the point where it hurt, and cry. Sometimes they were simply sniffles, single tears trailing down his cheeks and on to Suguru's face. Other times, the man flat out sobbed. Suguru didn't know why, and the few times he had brought it up to Ken resulted in a catastrophic argument. Not a regular argument, as the two were prone to having, but full blown, screaming, sore throat causing, raging, arguments. Ken clearly would have rather ended it than talk about it, and Suguru decided to never bring it up again.

Instead, he settled for dealing with these after effects in the only way he knew he could. He allowed Ken to hold him and sob himself to sleep. When they awoke, things would go back to normal. It was a rinse and repeat ritual for the two, and Suguru had the feeling it would stay that way until Ken was ready to talk about it.

"The sex was great," Ken would sometimes say over breakfast.

'_Too bad I can't say the same about the after effect,' _Suguru would silently reply.


	3. Nerd

A/N: This book of one-shots/drabbles/w.e was originally supposed to be focusing on the harder parts of Ken-chan and Suguru's relationship, but I felt like doing something a little more light hearted. So, yeah, here it is.

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Nerd

"I hate this game," muttered Suguru, who was propped up against the sofa in front of the television. However, instead of shutting off the infuriating game, he continued to play. His ass was hurting from sitting on the floor for twenty minutes, but he was determined to pass that level. Besides, it was raining and he was bored. He'd be damned if he were going to give up his only form of entertainment because of an incredibly annoying boss.

Ken, who had been laying down on the couch behind Suguru, looked up from his magazine and turned his head to look at the screen. "Then why don't you stop?"

Suguru tightened his grip on the controller when the enemy killed one of his party members. '_Crap. He was my healer – and I have no revival potions left!_ '

"Hello?" called Ken, lightly bopping Suguru on the head with his music magazine. "Earth to Suguru – why don't you stop?"

It was a simple question that offered a simple solution. However, it wasn't that simple for Suguru. He always planned out his gaming schedule a certain way. This time, he had planned to play until five, then go delve into his studies. It was simple: complete chapters six through seven before five. It always went the way he planned. Same thing with games: every strategy he planned worked out the way he wanted, thus resulting in Suguru beating his enemies in no time.

Not this time. This time, one particular boss decided that Suguru's strategy wasn't good enough, and killed him off a few times. He was standing in the way of chapter seven, and it was really pissing him off. Being the guy that he is, Suguru couldn't simply shut the game off and let this fictional beast ruin his plans! He was _going_ to beat him by five!

"It's not that simple," was Suguru's reply. When another of his party members were killed, he fought back the urge to scream. He never knew this game could be so frustrating!

"That guy just killed you."

Suguru set down the remote, crossing his arms while glaring at the screen. It was a turn-based RPG, so he didn't have to worry about the boss clonking him during battle. "Be quiet."

"I was just joking," Ken offered with a chuckle.

"Quiet. I have to concentrate." Suguru began to go through all possible strategies in his head. He now had two dead party members with just two more left. Luck would have it that the two remaining were his weakest. He decided to scroll through his possible options for attacking, praying that he would see a solution.

He picked up the remote and started looking through his character's attacks and techniques, unaware that Ken was watching.

"Maybe you should use that move there," he pointed out casually. "That one called, 'Drain'."

"I don't have enough MP for that move," Suguru replied as he was subjected to a highly aggravating feature of the game. Whenever the player stood around in battle for too long without making a move, the enemy taunted.

"What's MP?" Ken asked.

Suguru sighed, forgetting that he couldn't use RPG lingo when talking to him. Ken was more into the Adventure genre. "It's short for 'Magic Points.'"

"Oh. Don't you have a Wizard Bracelet?"

Suguru craned his neck upward to look at Ken, who had went back to reading his magazine. To be honest, he was surprised he knew what a Wizard Bracelet was. Not that _he_ knew either, but that's because the item was just recently introduced to the game at this point. "Yeah...why?"

Ken had been mouthing some words he read in the magazine, something he did often when reading. When he was finished, he replied to Suguru's question. "Because when you have it equipped it gives you plus ten Magic Points."

Suguru stared. That's all he really could do, to be honest. Did he really just hear those words out of his boyfriend's mouth? "How on Earth did you know that?"

He didn't look up from his magazine. "Ma-kun is a huge RPG dork."

Suguru quirked an eyebrow before looking back at the screen. To be honest, he was hoping that Ken was wrong. This was the kind of thing Suguru liked to figure out on his own. Sighing, he went to his item menu and equipped Wizard Bracelet. Sure enough, in his stats menu, his MP increased by ten. And sure enough, that was just enough for him to use the move 'Drain'.

"Told you."

"I bet you feel like such a man," Suguru commented dryly.

"Actually, I feel like a nerd."

Suguru huffed. Ken always liked to tease Suguru about his love of RPGs. He always told Suguru that he should play "manlier" games. He wasn't strictly into RPGs alone, but his collection of games didn't have much of anything else. He liked the strategy aspect. He felt more in control of his game experience that way – and control was something Suguru could not do without.

In regards to Ken's comment, Suguru chuckled. "You aren't a nerd."

"Thanks."

"Nerds are _smart_."

As Suguru carried out his strategy, Ken bopped him on the head with his magazine, obviously offended by the attack on his intelligence. However, once Suguru was able to use 'Drain', taking down the boss became incredibly easy, proving Ken right.

"See? Maybe I'm smarter than you after all!"

Suguru rolled his eyes as he saved his game data. "You only knew that because of Ma-kun."

"Well, it's not my fault I'm not a nerd."

"Stop calling me a nerd!"

Though Suguru reached chapter seven by five, like he wanted, he argued with Ken about what constitutes as being a 'nerd' until six. So much for keeping control of his schedule.

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A/N: Oh Ken-chan, always starting an argument! I just love making these two bicker. Until next time!


	4. Frustrated

There were times when people would have an off day, when it was best to just leave them be because you knew it would pass. After all, it was just an off day. Then there were times when someone seemed so out of it and upset that you just _knew_ something was wrong - something that would not simply 'just pass'. They say when people respond with an 'it's nothing' is when it's worst of all. It's so bad that they don't even bother talking about it; they accept the fact that whatever they're down about won't simply go away with a nice chat with a friend.

Suguru was always an observant person. He could tell when those around him displayed even the most minuscule signs of being uncomfortable or upset, and was almost always correct about those observations. Precisely why when he spoke to Ken, he knew something was wrong.

He had not been distant; he went out of his way to stop by Bad Luck's studio in order to give Suguru the spare apartment keys he had forgot to take as he left in the morning. He had even given him a kiss on the cheek, which is not something he does often in front of people, much less Suguru's band mates. However, Suguru noticed something was slightly off about him - about the way he _moved_. From the manner in which he addressed the room down to the way he kissed Suguru on the cheek; it was all different.

He had normally taken to saying 'hello' to everyone in the studio before making his way to Suguru, but instead he gave everyone a small - barely noticeable - nod. Instead of looking down and smiling at Suguru after giving him a light kiss, he merely placed the keys in his hands and turned away. It was as if he were trying to mask his bad mood by trying to act normal, but instead came off as robotic. Suguru saw how unnatural his movements were. He seemed defeated - a body moving out of habit as opposed to being driven by some sort of emotion.

Suguru had made the decision to speak with him later, when they were both done with work. And now here he stood, arms crossed, eyes boring holes into his boyfriend's face, waiting for him to say something - anything.

"I'm fine," he said. His gaze lingered on Suguru for a moment, eyes unreadable behind his shades, before going back to the sheet music he had in his hands.

The simple reply made Suguru feel uneasy. When Ken did not want to be confronted about something, he would get angry - sometimes so angry he would yell. That's what Suguru had been expecting. Instead, he received this simple 'I'm fine' suggesting that maybe he just didn't care. He was not fine - he knew it.

After Ken gathered all his sheet music he tucked it away in a red folder, which he then tucked under his arm. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at him. "I'll see you at home. Okay?" He seemed to want conformation that the conversation was over.

Suguru was not ready to end said conversation, though. "You don't look fine at all, Ken-chan. I'm not trying to be your psychologist or anything - I just want to know what's wrong." He spoke sternly, trying to relay through words how serious he was being.

Ken sighed lightly. "I'll see you at home," he said as he brushed passed Suguru. The younger male was so speechless and frustrated that he could do nothing but stare as Ken walked out the door.

'What the hell was that?' Arms still crossed, his fingers dug into the sleeves of his dress shirt. 'He's always doing this'. Every so often Ken would be in a bad mood, just like everyone else, but his moods were just depressing to witness. Some days he would stare out the window or off into space, or sometimes he would just disappear as if avoiding everyone else. He would never talk about it, and when confronted he would change the subject or act infuriatingly calm. It now finally reached the work place; Suguru only wanted what was best for Ken - if he let it get to him at work it could mean serious trouble for him. He was only trying to help, but he swore Ken didn't want it.

_'Fuck him, then'_. Suguru shook his head of the thought before taking a seat in front of Ken's keyboard. He hadn't even bothered to take it with him like he always did.

He played a few random notes in an attempt to calm himself down, but his thoughts continued to drift back to Ken, and how he constantly blew him off whenever he asked him what was wrong. Suguru tried so hard to make him happy, but it seemed as if Ken was only happy being miserable. "_Fuck_ him!" He slammed his fist against his lap, having avoided the keyboard at the last second.

Suguru took a deep breath as he stared down at his closed fist, surprised by his outburst. He rarely lost his composure because he always felt stronger when he controlled himself, but he had to admit that it felt good to let out that bit of steam. More importantly, he was not as angry as he had been a second ago.

"Someone's having a bad day."

Suguru's heart skipped a beat at the sudden intrusion of another presence in the room. Aizawa Taki stood at the other side of the room, a jacket slung over his shoulder. He could have sworn he had seen that same black jacket upon first entering the room, and the door behind him was closed. Just how long had he been there?

Suguru tapped a couple of keys on the instrument and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, trying to appear aloof. "Everyone is bound to have at least one. Aren't you done for the day?"

"Left my jacket," he replied simply.

A loud crackling sound resonated outside right before the room lit up brighter than it was before. Shortly after, the sounds of heavy raindrops was heard pelting the sides of the windows.

Aizawa sighed. "Fuck, I hate rain." Suguru's eyes shifted to the vocalist as he made his way to the other side of the room, grabbing an umbrella that had been stashed away in an umbrella stand. After making his way back to the front room, he glanced back at Suguru, who failed to realize he had been watching him the whole time. "You'll get used to it," he said.

Suguru arched a brow, wondering where that statement came from. "Pardon?"

"Ken-chan being this way."

Suguru's fingers halted over the keyboard. "You noticed?" He had known something was wrong only because he was simply good at reading people. In anyone else's eyes, Ken was acting perfectly normal, if only a bit off. At least, he thought so.

Aizawa laughed wryly as he slipped his arms into his jacket. "Of course I noticed. I've known him since high-school."

Hastily, Suguru asked, "What the hell is wrong with him?"

Aizawa shrugged after getting his jacket on. "I don't know, honestly."

Suguru's shoulders slumped. He had hoped that his best friend would at least know. He considered seeking out Ma-kun and asking him if he knew. "Have you tried asking him?"

Aizawa's brows furrowed. "Have _you_ tried asking him?"

Suguru could not help but laugh sardonically. Apparently, he was not the only one to suffer Ken's wrath for trying to find out what was going through his head. The laughing ended with a light sigh, his lips pulling downward into a frown. "I just...if something's wrong then he should say so."

"Ma-kun and I thought you would be the one to finally get him to open up about these...off days."

Suguru looked up at Aizawa, surprised by the admission. He always got the impression that Aizawa thought their relationship would not last. He did not speak to him often as he did Ma-kun - he guessed because he was a member of Bad Luck - but whenever they did he always felt as if he were waiting for the two to break up. Maybe he was just acting as if he did not care?

"You what?"

The older male buttoned up his jacket before pulling out a pair of gloves from the pockets. He slipped them on one after the other. "It's been a few months and the only change I see is that he has yet to show up on my doorstep at one in the morning smashed out of his mind. Maybe you're actually doing something."

Suguru stood up from behind the keyboard, his eyes not leaving Aizawa. His brain was working now, piecing together events in his head along with what he was hearing at the moment. Then it hit him, along with a wave of dread at the possibility of what he was thinking. "Do you think - maybe he's depressed?"

Aizawa looked mildly surprised. Suguru guessed that he never once came to that conclusion. "I...guess so. I always just assumed he let the pressure of the band get to him more often but-"

"I need to go home and talk to him." He knew he would catch hell from K for leaving work without so much as a warning, but he had to talk to Ken. If there was even the slightest chance that something was bothering him so much that he would get depressed, he had to know as soon as possible. Maybe he could get him to see someone?

The room was silent as the two stood there, the only sounds being the storm coming from outside. Eventually, Aizawa spoke.

"Uh...look, you don't drive or anything, right? I'll give you a ride."

Aizawa was just full of surprises today. First he bothered to stop and 'comfort' him, in his own way, and now he was offering him a ride. "You don't have-"

"Ken-chan's place is only a few blocks from Ma-kun's and I promised that idiot I'd give him a ride anyway. It's faster." He nodded his head towards the door. "Come on."

Suguru gave in. He wanted to get home as soon as possible, and riding with ASK was faster than taking two buses and a train in this storm. As Suguru followed Aizawa out the door, the older man added, "Besides, I know how much relationships can suck."


End file.
